Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
**India
Good afternoon, everyone.
First off, I wanted to read to you what the Secretary-General said just now on social media about the plane crash that took place today in India, where he said, and I quote, “I am deeply saddened by the terrible news of the plane crash in Ahmedabad, India. My heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of all affected.”
We do expect to have a full statement, hopefully not too long from now.
**Occupied Palestinian Territory
Turning to the Gaza Strip, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that a complete collapse of internet and data services is paralysing aid operations across the Gaza Strip. Our partners working on telecommunications say this is due to damage to the last fibre cable route serving central and southern Gaza, likely caused during heavy military activity.
They warn that this is not a routine outage, but a total failure of Gaza’s digital infrastructure. Lifelines to emergency services, humanitarian coordination and critical information for civilians have all been cut. There is a full internet blackout, and mobile networks are barely functioning.
In a context already limited by physical access restrictions and widespread damage, emergency services are cut off, and civilians cannot access life-saving support.
You will have seen UNRWA’s (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) post earlier today saying they’ve lost contact with colleagues in Gaza. That’s true for most agencies — we’re largely cut off from our teams on the ground.
Meanwhile, OCHA warns that the fuel blockade — imposed by Israeli authorities for over 100 days now — has reached a critical point. Fuel is running out fast, and essential services that keep people alive are now dangerously close to shutting down.
Yesterday, we mentioned health, water and sanitation facilities. Just to give you a clearer picture: Our colleagues working on health now warn that nearly 80 per cent of health facilities providing life-saving services may very soon run out of fuel. That’s 67 out of 85 such facilities — including 17 hospitals, seven field hospitals, and 43 primary healthcare centres. They warn that lives are on the line, particularly newborns who depend on incubators and ventilators and other patients in critical care units.
Haemodialysis services are also expected to cease. Ambulance services and patient referrals are expected to come to a halt, effectively eliminating the so-called “golden hour” critical for trauma care — that’s the crucial first hour after trauma injury, when medical treatment is most likely to save a person’s life.
Other critical services that could be affected by fuel depletion are water wells and desalination systems.
You will recall that more than a dozen attempts to retrieve such fuel from northern Gaza were denied by Israeli authorities before 260,000 litres ended up being looted. Today, an attempt to retrieve fuel was initially approved, after weeks of repeated access denials, but it could not be accomplished. The UN Office for Project Services, UNOPS, said that shelling forced the team to turn back, with one fuel truck driver sustaining injury.
OCHA calls on the Israeli authorities to urgently restore the entry of fuel into Gaza and facilitate access to reserves that are already inside, in hard-to-reach areas.
OCHA warns that civilians also continue to be displaced in Gaza. Today, Israeli authorities issued displacement orders for six neighbourhoods across three governorates: Gaza North, Gaza and Khan Younis. Together, these orders encompass over three square kilometres, which were already covered by previous displacement orders. OCHA reminds us that, just like fuel, for over 100 days, the Israeli authorities have not allowed any tents or other shelter materials into the Gaza Strip.
An update on the limited supplies that we’ve been able to bring into Gaza: Yesterday, our teams collected 56 truckloads of food supplies from Kerem Shalom and brought them to northern Gaza.
This is the first time since before the full blockade on all supplies, including aid — which started in early March — that we have been allowed to use the Zikim entry point — also known as Erez West. This made it relatively safer for humanitarian teams to reach the north, where the supplies have already been distributed. We’re also working to send more supplies to Kerem Shalom, and will have more information on this once we manage to bring those supplies in.
Finally, you will have seen a statement by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) that Palestinians involved in distributing supplies have been attacked and some of them killed. While we don’t have independent information on this — and the telecommunications blackout isn’t helping us here — OCHA reiterates that civilians must never be attacked, let alone those trying to access or provide food amid mass starvation.
**UNIFIL
The Head of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Lebanon and Force Commander, Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro, discussed with the Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, General Rodolph Haykal, the importance of strong coordination between UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) and the Lebanese Armed Forces, unrestricted freedom of movement for peacekeepers, and the full re-deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces in southern Lebanon. This will help restore stability and extend State authority as required under resolution 1701. The meeting took place in Naqoura, in southern Lebanon, yesterday.
The strong coordination was further demonstrated through the completion of 24 operational activities in support of the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces along the Blue Line. Additionally, the UNIFIL Maritime Task Force conducted training with the Lebanese Air Force off the coast of Lebanon. Yesterday, UNIFIL discovered two abandoned ammunition and weapons caches, one of which consisted of a rocket launching platform, and the other 30 rockets, found during a joint patrol with the Lebanese Armed Forces. The Lebanese Armed Forces disposed of all the reported items.
Also yesterday, UNIFIL peacekeepers reported two incidents of denial of freedom of movement.
In the more serious incident, a group of around 40 individuals in civilian clothes threw stones at a UNIFIL patrol near Bayt Lif in Sector West, causing damage to the vehicles. We reiterate that Lebanese authorities must ensure that UNIFIL has fully unrestricted freedom of movement throughout its area of operations.
**Yemen
This morning, Security Council members held a briefing on the situation in Yemen.
Hans Grundberg, our Special Envoy for Yemen, said that there is a need to build on the recent cessation of hostilities in the Red Sea. He added that this effort goes hand in hand with the ongoing work towards a road map that will help Yemen overcome its current divisions and lead to a comprehensive ceasefire and an inclusive peace process.
For her part, Joyce Msuya, the Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said that over 17 million people — or nearly half of Yemen’s population — are estimated to be acutely hungry. Humanitarians are doing their best, she said, but the response is constrained by the lack of funding.
Both officials called for the unconditional and immediate release of UN and other colleagues detained by the Houthis.
Their remarks were shared with you.
**Sudan
On Sudan, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, said in a statement today that again and again, the international community has said that we will protect the people of Sudan. He said the people of Sudan should ask us if, when and how we will start to deliver on that promise, because their country has become a grim example of twin themes of this moment: indifference and impunity.
Mr. Fletcher said that Sudan is the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with 30 million people — half the population — in need of life-saving aid. From Kordofan to Darfur, the war has left civilians trapped, starving, without the basics they need for their survival. Indiscriminate shelling, drone attacks and other air strikes kill, injure and displace people in staggering numbers.
He called for funding and accountability, calling on all with influence to step up to protect civilians, guarantee safe access for humanitarians and to fund their work, and to insist on agreements to humanitarian pauses and other arrangements that can allow us to safely reach the areas and people worst hit.
**South Sudan
Turning to South Sudan, the latest update by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) shows a deterioration in food and nutrition conditions in areas of South Sudan hit by fighting in the last few months. In Upper Nile state, people in 11 of the 13 counties are now facing emergency levels of hunger.
Of extreme concern are Nasir and Ulang counties in Upper Nile, where people are deemed to be at-risk of famine, in the worst-case scenario. In a joint statement released today, the World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned that humanitarian access in the conflict-affected areas remains severely constrained. The Humanitarian agencies stress that the time to act is passing quickly for thousands of families in Upper Nile who are on the brink of catastrophe.
There is more online.
**Democratic Republic of the Congo
And I wanted to flag that the head of the peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bintou Keita, is in Goma today.
She is there for a three-day visit to express her solidarity with the people of Goma. She is also scheduled to meet with representatives of the M23/Alliance du Fleuve Congo to discuss priorities of the peacekeeping mission’s mandate, notably the protection of civilians.
We should have more on the visit in the coming days.
**South Africa
Turning to South Africa. Our colleagues from the Resident Coordinator’s Office in the country note the tragic loss of life of dozens of civilians from devastating floods caused by snow and heavy rains impacting the areas of Mthatha and Butterworth in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province.
The UN team notes that as of today, the death toll from the floods has risen to 57 people, including school children. About 127 schools in 10 districts have been damaged. This is according to the country’s Government.
The UN Resident Coordinator, Nelson Muffuh, has expressed profound sadness at such horrific loss of life and sincere condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones. Our team in the country is engaging with authorities and partners and accompanying efforts to help the flood victims. Search and rescue operations continue for the missing persons.
**Viet Nam
The Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, is in Viet Nam today until 14 June.
During the visit, which is at the invitation of the host authorities, he will take part in a high-level forum on women in peacekeeping hosted by the Ministry of Public Security.
While in Viet Nam, Mr. Lacroix will also meet with Government, police and military leadership and their partners on the ground to discuss the country’s important contributions to UN Peacekeeping as well as Viet Nam’s implementation of the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security.
Mr. Lacroix will also visit Viet Nam’s Peacekeeping Training Centre, where future peacekeepers are being prepared for deployment to peace operations. During his three-day visit, he will also engage with different stakeholders working in the demining field.
**Displaced People
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) today released a report showing that the number of people displaced by war, violence and persecution worldwide is untenably high, particularly as humanitarian funding evaporates, with the only bright spot being a pickup in returns, notably to Syria. According to UNHCR’s annual Global Trends Report, there were 122.1 million forcibly displaced people by the end of April 2025, up from 120 million at the same time last year. This represents around a decade of year-on-year increases in the number of refugees and others forced to flee their homes.
UNHCR notes that the main drivers of displacement remain large conflicts like Sudan, Myanmar and Ukraine, and the continued failure to stop the fighting. The report points out that 60 per cent of people forced to flee never leave their own country. Of those who leave, the majority of them stay in neighbouring countries, with low and middle-income countries hosting 73 per cent of the world’s refugees. The full report is available online.
**Human Rights
Earlier today in Geneva, High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk launched his Office’s 2024 annual report, which provides concrete examples of the UN’s human rights work and outlines the impact of the current UN financial situation on the activities of the UN Human Rights Office. The report is online.
**International Day
And last, today is the World Day against Child Labour.
This Day is a reminder that every child around the world has the right to health, education and protection. But the sad reality is that millions of children around the world are denied a fair chance for no reason other than the country, gender or circumstances into which they are born.
**Questions and Answers
Deputy Spokesman: Edie?
Question: A couple of follow-ups, Farhan, and in case you said this at the beginning: Does the Secretary-General have any comment on the plane crash in India that took more than 200 lives?
Deputy Spokesman: Yeah. I mentioned that the Secretary-General had said that he was deeply saddened by the news of this crash. And we do expect a statement, a fuller statement to come out. We believe that there has been something in the neighbourhood of more than 200 deaths because of this. So, our hearts go out to the people of India and to the Government of India as they seek to deal with this tragedy.
Question: A couple of other questions first. Does the Secretary-General have any comment on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) decision that Iran is failing to meet its nuclear obligations?
Deputy Spokesman: Well, we reiterate our concern that Iran is continuing uranium enrichment activities well beyond the limits set by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). We call on Iran to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency, including through the fulfilment of the 2023 joint statement, and in resolving outstanding safeguards issues. And of course, you’re aware of the Secretary-General’s long-held position on the need for diplomatic solution to this issue.
Question: And another follow-up on something that was released today. The Secretary-General, as we all know, is a former High Commissioner for Refugees. Does he have any comment on the continued rise in forcible displacements around the world?
Deputy Spokesman: The Secretary-General, both in his previous capacity, but certainly also now, has always been concerned about what he believes is a continued climate of impunity that has been pushing different crises that disrupts people’s lives and forces them to flee from their homes. But, certainly, the news from today’s Global Trends report is alarming. Pam?
Question: Yes. A follow-up on the IAEA report. This was a very unusual IAEA board of directors’ resolution that said that they could not conclude that Iran’s nuclear activities were entirely peaceful, that there was obfuscation, that they weren’t complying, and you already addressed that. In light of that, there’s also a lot of talk about a possible strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities and the US taking non-essential personnel out of regional bases. What would a strike mean in terms of Iran’s nuclear programme? Thank you.
Deputy Spokesman: The Secretary-General has made it very clear that there must not be any military escalation in the region, which has already seen too much death and destruction in the recent years. It’s been very clear that he has urged all parties to pursue a diplomatic solution to their outstanding issues. He, as you know, had been a big proponent of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and he continues to be a proponent of any efforts to reach an agreement on the peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue.
Question: And just on that, there are US-Iran talks scheduled for Oman, which may or may not take place now. It looks like they’re a bit uncertain. What is your best hope for that?
Deputy Spokesman: The best hope for this is that the parties can make progress on resolving their outstanding issues. But in any case, we urge them to continue their discussions.
Correspondent: Thank you.
Deputy Spokesman: And this, I believe, really is what I was waiting for. So, this is what you’d asked for, and so I have the following statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on the plane crash in India.
The Secretary-General is deeply saddened by the news of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on 12 June, which claimed the lives of more than 200 people aboard, as well as the loss of life and injuries at the BJ Medical College hostel, which was struck during the crash. He extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and to the people and Government of India, as well as to all countries whose citizens were affected by this tragedy. He wishes a swift and full recovery to those who were injured. Okay. Abdelhamid?
Question: Thank you, Farhan. I’ll start my questions on Syria. Today, Israeli invaded a small town near Damascus or Damascus countryside. It’s called Beit Jinn. They kidnapped seven people, and they killed one civilian. Why this violation of Syrian sovereignty does not come regularly in your briefing?
Deputy Spokesman: We update when as we get information on this, but we have been updating, including in our reports to the Security Council about all the violations. And, again, we call on all States, whether in the region or outside of it, to fully respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria.
Question: My second question about Gaza today, 52 Palestinians were killed, including 17 lining up for what is called a food distribution centre. In fact, there are traps to kill them. Are you aware of this development and why it also didn’t come in your briefing?
Deputy Spokesman: We have been talking, basically every day, including in the note I just read now, about the dangers that people face trying to get aid. And again, our basic point is that attacks on civilians in Gaza, including deaths and injury of hungry people who are seeking food, are unacceptable. These incidents have concentrated around the newly established militarized distribution centres where starving people tell us that Israeli forces opened fire on them. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, hospitals have received more than 200 fatalities and over 2,000 injuries from these areas over the past two weeks. And our basic point again — and we’ve been saying this for some time now — is that all life-saving aid should not be weaponized and should not be obstructed. People should never be put in a position where they have to choose between feeding their families and placing themselves at risk.
Question: Last question. One more?
Deputy Spokesman: Yeah. One more and then…
Question: Okay. In Egypt now, there is a large civilian movement, civilian caravans coming from Tunisia, Algeria, Libya and other countries from Europe to march toward Rafah crossing. The Egyptian authorities start to make some difficulties for those participating in the march. Do you have any thought on that?
Deputy Spokesman: Our normal point of principle applies here as it does in all other circumstances, that we believe that everyone should respect the rights of people to engage in peaceful protest. Nabil and then Sinan and then Sam.
Question: Yes. Thank you, Farhan. For some reason, the noon briefing was not broadcasted earlier in the beginning of your briefing. So, could you please repeat the statement on the Internet service in Gaza? What happened exactly? You mentioned something about the Internet.
Deputy Spokesman: It’s a very lengthy thing.
Correspondent: It was not broadcasted. That’s why I needed on that.
Deputy Spokesman: What I would urge then is for my colleagues to then do a rebroadcast. Hopefully, the entire briefing will be rebroadcast, and I can do that, but it’s several minutes, that note. I think I’ll mention the key part of it again for you, which is this — that we’ve been informed by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of a complete collapse of Internet and data services that is paralysing aid operations across the Gaza Strip. Our partners working on telecommunications say that this is due to damage to the last fibre cable route serving central and southern Gaza, likely caused during heavy military activity. And the basic point, I mean, although there’s quite a bit more than this, but the basic point is that this is not a routine outage but a total failure of Gaza’s digital infrastructure and is affecting lifelines to emergency services, humanitarian coordination and critical information to civilians. Okay. Sinan and then Sam.
Question: Thank you, Farhan. Just a follow-up to Pam’s question. During the USA and Iran talks regarding the nuclear negotiation, the report says Washington is preparing for a partial evacuation of its embassy in Iraq. Additionally, military dependents who will be permitted to leave certain locations across the Middle East, due to escalation of security concerns. What’s Secretary-General’s reaction to this?
Deputy Spokesman: I think my response to Pam is the same. Again, what we want is for this issue to be resolved through diplomatic means.
Question: A quick follow-up, if you don’t mind. What will be the impact on the situation in the Middle East if both side, like, fail — I mean, the negotiation fails?
Deputy Spokesman: I’m not going to speculate on that. What we try to do is encourage as much as possible the prospects for success. Sam?
Question: Any update on the Secretary-General meeting with the Veterans for Peace and their and other fasters outside the US Mission? One of them was just in the emergency room.
Deputy Spokesman: I don’t have any update. He just got back into town yesterday. I do believe that in the next couple of days, we’ll also announce some further travels. But while he’s here, we’ll see what can be done. But certainly, you are well aware of his own concerns about the situation in Gaza.
Question: Yes. Again, there’s concerns and rhetoric and of course, there’s actions. Thank you. Your statement regarding the Internet cut-off seemed to imply that it was accidental or just simply part and parcel of Israel’s general bombing campaign.
Deputy Spokesman: That not what I said. I just encourage you to look at what I said.
Question: Could you clarify, because news is reporting that the move was foreshadowed by Israeli Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu’s statement of 14 May. So, this seems to be another part of their calculated effort to obscure what’s happening and their war crimes.
Deputy Spokesman: I’m not going to speculate on the reasoning behind why these things happened. What I’m doing is detailing to you what the effects are, and I think I laid out at length the tremendous negative effects this has on the ground.
Question: But again, are you aware of his foreshadowing of this would happen?
Deputy Spokesman: We here, in terms of the spokespeople, leave the analysis to you and the media, and you’re free to make your own analysis of the facts that we present.
Question: On the Iranian issue, if I might, Iran says that they’re have a, quote, “treasure trove of secret documents regarding Western complicity and enabling building up Israel’s massive nuclear weapons arsenal”. Do you have any comment on that?
Deputy Spokesman: We haven’t seen any such documents. Obviously, Iran, like any other Member State, is free to present whatever information they have at their disposal. Michelle?
Question: Thanks, Farhan. Just on the Internet outage, what’s needed to fix it, and can it be fixed?
Deputy Spokesman: There’s two basic things that need to happen. One is the fibre cables need to be repaired. But beyond that, for all the Internet operations to be working, we need to have access to fuel. And, you know, essentially, the power system that powers the Internet and every other resource has to be up and running, so all of those things need to happen. Clearly, the one thing that would most directly help is a ceasefire and end to hostilities and a restoration of basic services. Barring that, certainly, we need to make sure that all the critical services can be up and running. And with that, I wish you all a good afternoon. Oh, one more. Sam?
Question: Thank you. When questioned about Iran allegedly going above the limit of nuclear enrichment, you said that you were concerned about that. What’s your position on Israel’s nuclear weapons arsenal?
Deputy Spokesman: We’ve also expressed our concerns repeatedly about the nuclear weapons programme of Israel, and you can look at the record of that.
Question: Do you have an estimate as to how large it is?
Deputy Spokesman: I believe for information like that, you’d have to get from our colleagues at the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Question: Are you concerned that the US Government refuses to acknowledge to this day that the Israel’s nuclear weapons arsenal even exists?
Deputy Spokesman: Regarding that, of course, you know, I’m not going to comment on other nations’ positions. I’m not here to be a repository of comment about this or that nation’s own positions on an issue. But we have our positions and our concerns, and you can see the record of what we’ve said. All right. Good afternoon, everyone.